What Doesn't Kill you, Makes you Stanger
by Watermelonsmellinfellon
Summary: After Edward leaves, Jacob helps Bella get her life in order once more. She's now a college graduate and moves to Gotham City for an interview at the prestigious Wayne Enterprises. But Bella can never have a normal life and gets the attention of the top men in the city. From billionaires to psychotic clowns, how will she cope? And what are these strange occurrences she's noticing?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, people! First chapter of an idea I got. I even did character designs for what I want to happen in the future.**

**I don't own Twilight or The Dark Knight.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

Isabella Marie Swan stood in her knock off black flats, decked out in a long khaki skirt and a deep blue blouse. Her dark brown(almost black) locks, which had grown over the years, brushed against the middle of her thighs. There was a slight wave, making her hair look windswept all the time. She was of a pale complexion with dark eyebrows that barely had shape and dark chocolate-brown eyes with flecks of what she swore to be gold.

Isabella, who prefered to be called Bella seeing as the Isa part annoyed her, was waiting for her interview to come.

Several years ago, she had moved to Forks Washington and had met a family of vampires. She even got involved with the 'youngest' son for a while. But then, some things happened and they separated. Or more like, _he_ separated from _her_ for 'her own safety'.

So she cut herself on accident and his brother attacked her, that didn't mean he had to break up with her over it. But he did and left her in the woods, staring at the tree that was behind where he had previously stood.

She went through a depressive state. About six or so months of it. During half that time, she burned everything that she couldn't stand, broke her CDs and suffered from horrendous nightmares. Even with her attempts at acting normal, at least for her father's sake, she couldn't find it in her to be herself again. She was broken.

And then Jake came along. He was like her own personal sun, warming up her cold heart and returning her to humanity again. He got her to open up and reconnect with the friends she had lost during her withdrawal. He urged her to do better and to smile and laugh. And after three months, she had forgotten her sadness and even wondered why she was so depressed in the first place. Jake had helped change her.

She continued on in school, graduating with High Honors. He urged her on to apply for several different colleges and she did, receiving a scholarship to the University of Alaska Southeast.

Even when she found out that he and his fellow La Push friends were Shapeshifters, only three months before she left, it didn't stop her contact with him. Even when he started dating Leah Clearwater, who didn't really like Bella all that much, they didn't stop being friends. Jake was like her own personal cheerleading squad and he always knew what to say to cheer her up.

So she went to college, with Majors in _English_, _Journalism and Media Studies_ and _Linguistics_(because she was an overachiever) and Minors in _Statistics_, _Business Administration _and _Business Technical Writing_.

Doing so well in her classes and getting her masters a year earlier than the others, got her some attention. She was only twenty-two. The dean of the Uni had apparently made a lot of recommendations for her to a lot of his friends and she received calls left and right for interviews for personal secretarial work. Everything she graduated with pretty much fit the category and the dean had said that she worked well under pressure, because she juggled so many things at once without issue.

After some digging around, she ruled out almost every place, because they were in places she refused to move to. However, one had interested her and it was at a company called Wayne Enterprises in a nice city called Gotham. Apparently Lucius Fox, CEO of the very large company, was in need of a competent secretary that wouldn't try and flirt with owner, Bruce Wayne.

The dean stood up for Bella, stating that she always focused on her work and didn't care much for frivolity. Though he was correct, it was embarrassing to have it admitted aloud and have it be true. Basically, he told the man that she had no life, in a really glorified way.

So, she took the few things she had and stayed in a hotel in Gotham for the duration of her interview and the period where she waited for a response. If she got the job, she'd rent an apartment and stay there. If not, then she'd move on to some of the other places she had been okay with in her list.

So she stood in the hallway outside the large office, awaiting her turn. She was the last person to go in, because her name was last on the list and she hoped to leave a good impression. Though she normally did, it didn't hurt to hope anyway.

She looked up as the door to the enormous office opened and a bleached blonde woman stepped out. She was all legs, which were easily noticeable because of her mid-thigh length pencil skirt and black high heels. She was similarly dressed like every other girl that had left the office. Short skirts, severely unbuttoned tops, curled or straightened hair and a _lot_ of make up. This one even had a fake tan and somewhat resembled an orange.

She looked Bella up and down and gave a scoff and then a titter with a big smile that seemed to stretch her face immensely and strutted off.

Bella wasn't impressed in the slightest. Girls like that were everywhere and it was annoying to see them getting what they wanted without working for it. The world only seemed to accept falsities anymore.

She turned and approached the door, knocking on it unlike the other girls who had just barged in, and waited for an answer.

"Enter."

She did so, and was greeted with a large white room. In the far back was a long desk that was stationed in front of an enormous wall sized window. A man sat behind the desk, hand folded under his chin, elbows resting on the wood.

She walked forward after shutting the door and shook his proffered hand.

"Hello, Mr. Fox," she greeted pleasantly, with a business like air.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Swan. It's a pleasure to meet you. Tom has told me much about you," the man smiled.

She nodded and sat in the chair before his desk and waited for them to start.

"Well Ms. Swan, I've read over your medical history and I'm concerned with how often you get injured. Will this be an issue if you are given the job?" he asked, staring at a very large file that Bella recognized as her Medical File. It was too large. Too..damn..large.

"No sir. For some strange reason, I haven't had any sort of accidents since the beginning of my Senior year in high school. I'm not complaining though, it's about time my luck turned around," she answered.

He smiled, "I can see that. Through a window?"

She nodded with a wince at the memory of who came up with that lie. "I was in the hospital for quite a while. I hated every minute of it."

"Well, we can only hope that your good fortune remains that way. Now, how many words can you type a minute?"

"I can actually do sixty-two a minute."

He smiled and shuffled through some papers. "What are your personal interests and hobbies, Ms. Swan?"

"Just Bella, please," she insisted. "I like listening to all sorts of music, especially piano classics. I'm not up to date on t.v. so I can't answer anything pertaining to that area. I had taken up a Yoga class during college. I find it relaxing and I like the fact that I can lift my leg over my head now. I do a lot of reading in whatever spare time I have and I like cooking and baking."

He nodded, looking over a sheet of paper.

"I see your father is the Chief of Police in Forks Washington. Have you ever been convicted of a felony or received a speeding ticket?"

"No sir. I'm clear."

"What sort of vehicle do you drive and why?"

She was confused by that question, but answered anyway. "I drive a faded red 53' Chevy Pick-up truck. My father bought it for me when I moved back to Forks and when I saw it, I loved it. It still works perfectly fine and I see no need in wasting money for a new one. That thing is like my own personal tank," she told him.

"You like old-fashioned vehicles, Bella?"

She nodded, "Yes. I prefer the models more than todays cars. They are far more sturdier and I know because I was nearly hit by a large van doing fifty in a parking lot covered in black ice and when I hit the ground, it slammed into my truck and only left a small dent."

Lucius turned around and looked out the large window, "I see your truck. It's very well taken care of, despite the faded coloring. You take care of your belongings, Bella?"

"Yes sir."

"How often do you shop for things you want? Such as shoes, dresses, jewelry or getting your hair done or getting a manicure."

"I've never gone to a hair salon, or gotten a manicure or pedicure. The last article of clothing I bought for myself was the pair of flats I'm currently wearing and that was before I entered college. I wear this bracelet all the time and my father bought it for me on my thirteenth birthday. I don't wear any other jewelry even though I have some earrings from my mother."

He was silent as he looked over some more papers. "Would you consider yourself a very patient person, Bella?"

"I _would_. I've dealt with some very annoying people and not once have they ever found out that I find them annoying. I consider that to be patience, because it means I have a good control over my temper. In fact, not many things annoy me anymore."

"And what are your pet peeves?"

"Double standards," she automatically answered. That was something she shared with Charlie, both of them hated them.

"I also hate it when guys can't take a hint. If I don't want to go to a dance, I'm not going. Stop herding me, I don't dance."

"Also," she continued. "I'm a bad liar. If you want me to lie for you, it better be for a _very_ good reason, otherwise I'll tell the truth. Personal feelings aside."

He nodded and shuffled through some more papers. "Do you have any past relationships that could possibly cause trouble for your future?" he queried.

"I've only had one boyfriend and he broke up with me in my Senior year of high school. I haven't seen him in years and I don't think he'll ever want to see me again, nor do want to see him."

"Was it for a personal reason or perhaps a grudge? You don't have to tell me specifics, I just need to know if he'll be an issue."

She shrugged, "I don't know his reasoning. All he did was take me deep into the forest and tell me that he never loved me and that he was leaving and he had his whole family move before telling me this, so that they were all gone. I was in shock and I stood there for a long time and when I finally looked up, he was gone. I got lost and was out there well into the night, so I hold a grudge against him for that but I don't know about him. And no one really liked him or his family so if they were to return to Forks, I don't think anyone who _knows_ where I am, would _tell_ him where I am."

Lucius nodded in understanding.

"What do you know about Bruce Wayne?"

Bella shrugged, "The building is named after him?"

Lucius smirked and shook his head. "No, Wayne Enterprises has been around long before Mr. Wayne was even thought of."

Bella had to wonder how old the guy was. Fox made it sound like the place had been around for centuries!

"You truly know nothing about Mr. Wayne?"

Before she could answer, the door opened and man entered, acting as if he owned the place. Bella could tell just from his strut, that he thought he was the shit. He was tall with dark hair and hazel eyes, dressed in a suit and tie.

"Lucius, I need you to find me-. Well who is _this_?"

Bella frowned at him, not moving to take his offered hand. Instead, she remained quiet, glaring at him for interrupting her interview and then trying to pull his horrid moves on her. Bastard.

"This is Bella Swan. She's in the middle of an interview for the position of my personal secretary."

The man's eyes went wide and he gave Bella a toothy smile, winking.

"Want to be my personal secretary? I'm _much_ more fun than Lucius is."

"No."

Both men looked at her in shock. It wasn't that big of a deal, was it?

"I came here for an interview with Mr. Fox, not a pretty boy who seems to think he owns the world. It's getting annoying running into guys like you everywhere I go."

His mouth dropped open and Lucius snickered.

"Bella, I'd like to introduce you to Bruce Wayne," he said.

Time halted and Bella stared at the brunette before her in shock. She just insulted the owner! Shit!

And by the look on his face, he hadn't even come back to earth yet.

She winced and looked at Lucius, who was watching Wayne with obvious interest.

He then looked at Bella and smiled, "You have the job, Bella. I think you broke him, and hopefully knocked some sense into him while doing so."

She gaped at him while he was grinning at Wayne.

She just disrespected the owner of the Enterprises and he was giving her the job anyway?!

Lucius looked back to her, "You'll start on Monday. Come to this floor and ask the floor manager, Steven Gibbs, he's the one sitting out in the hallway, for a pass to the office. I'll have already briefed him on everything by then. I must say, I'm excited to get a secretary who knows what she's doing."

He stood and held his hand out to her and she mimicked him, shaking it.

"Thank you, Mr. Fox."

He winked, "Have a nice evening, Bella."

She left the office, in a daze. She got the job, good, but the way it happened had her lost.

How did _that_ help him decide that she was the one for the job?

She shook her head as she made her way to her truck. All she knew, was that she beat out thirty-seven other 'women' for the position and she felt light as a feather. She needed to find an apartment now.

The pay for her new job was half a grand every two weeks. With that, she could get a nice apartment and internet access for her laptop, a gift from Renee for her nineteenth birthday. Charlie had bought her an iPhone.

She took a moment to rest her head against the steering wheel. She was about to start a life in Gotham City. She had to call Charlie.

**A/N: So this is the first chapter.**

**Please let me know what you think. Should I continue it?**

**Check out my other Twilight stories, plus my Harry Potter's, Naruto's and Inuyasha's.**

**See ya! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello, people! Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows!**

**I don't own Twilight or Dark Knight.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

Bella ripped up the papers in her hands.

She had gone to the most popular bank in Gotham to open a checking account and transfer everything over. They handed her a small packet and then she had to spend half an hour filling it out.

On a small chair near a small cubicle around the corner from the door, she took her time, making sure to get all the information correct.

She was startled when gunshots sounded and was immediately on her feet and inside the cubicle, peeking around the corner to see what was going on. The man inside with her, sitting at his desk, reached below the seat for something. He removed his glasses and frowned.

She didn't move an inch and just hoped that no one came in her direction. Her good luck had to last through this. It just had to.

She peeked around the corner again and saw men with _clown masks_?- taping grenades to people's hands. One guy was pulling tellers over the counter and dropping them to the floor so that the other two could give them a handy little explosive of their own.

Bella's eyes were drawn back to the man in the cubicle with her. He was standing now, shotgun in hand. She shook her head frantically and whispered, "You don't know how many there are. What if more come? You'll get killed?"

He shrugged and stepped out into the main lobby.

Bella took that as a chance to duck under his desk and watch from the small opening at the bottom.

The man continued forward, shooting the gun at a man whose back was turned. He went down easily.

The other two hit the floor, hiding behind the evenly situated stands in the center of the room.

Another shot and Bella rolled her eyes. He was wasting bullets by shooting at wood instead of waiting for the enemy to show. He was going to die, just like she said.

If she made it out of this without a scratch, she'd have to get some Vodka later. A celebration would be in order.

The man tried to shoot again, but realized he was out and a masked clown jumped up and shot him.

The wall behind the counters where the tellers usually stood exploded and there stood a woman, decked out in red and black, wearing a black mask and holding a large sledgehammer that resembled a wooden barrel with a stick on it. In Bella's opinion at least.

"Hiya! Yooze all gonna be sleepin' wit da fishes if yooze actin' like a schutch!" the woman cackled in the worst Brooklyn accent Bella had ever heard. What the hell was a _shooch_ anyway?

She skipped in, twirling the large weapon like it was nothing. "Oh, Puddin'! I gotta axeya a question?!"

"And what, might that be?"

Bella looked over to see a man in a long purple trench coat and greasy dyed green hair stepping into the room lightly. Bella was awed that a man was able to walk so gracefully when he wasn't a vampire. When he turned, she gaped. What the hell was with the clown get-up? Was this an on the road circus that robbed banks or something?

"Um jus' wonderin' if da guy on da ruff was impawent tooya?!"

The clown, whose red smile was dramatically splayed across his lips and up his cheeks, grinned, making a terrifying face. "Not at all Harley, dear."

"Oh, Mista J!" the woman, now known as Harley, squealed. She then moved to jump on the man, but was elbowed in the stomach as soon as she came within two feet of him.

Bella was wondering what was wrong with the woman as she literally fell to the floor but rolled over and flipped to her feet like it was nothing and started skipping around the clown man, humming some sort of tune. She was obviously nuts.

"Harley, darling. You know what to do," the purple clown said, waving a switchblade that appeared in his hand at the two masked guys.

Harley grinned and leaped over a table, brandishing her hammer over her head and bringing it down on the one man's head. The other jumped to the side and pulled out his gun, aiming it at her. The purple clown was faster though and had literally thrown his blade, hitting the man's hand and making him drop his gun with a pained cry.

Harley turned from her victim to him and they circled each other. She smiled as he looked between her and the other clown, trying to keep both in his sights.

Harley put the hammer behind her back and pointed at her face with her left hand, "Yooze got a little schmutz right dea."

"How?" he asked, falling for it and touching his face.

The purple man fell into obnoxious laughter, slapping a knee just for the hell of it.

There was a loud beep before the wall of the bank exploded and the back-end of a school bus slammed into the masked clown, knocking him into a nearby table. His body went limp quickly and red seeped from under the mask and onto the floor.

Harley gave a high titter and jumped up and down, "Dat's how!" she cheered, answering his question posthumously.

Another masked clown entered the room, pulling a long cord that had several large black bags connected to it.

The purple man turned and asked, "Is that all of it?"

"Yeah. Who knew the mob bosses liked this bank so much?" the man answered.

Mr. J, as Harley had called him, gave a huff and then whipped out a gun and shot the man between the eyes. "Of course they like it, it's _their_ bank," he grumbled, kicking the body just for fun.

He then grabbed the line and towed it on over to the bus where another masked man appeared, helping to pull it all in. "That's a lot of money. Did he piss you off, Boss?" he said, looking behind the clown man.

"Yes," the man nodded, shooting the goon before him as well.

"Well, Harley, let's get going!" he said, jumping into the bus.

"Awright, Mista J!" she giggled, blowing a kiss to one of the men on the floor and hopping into the bus.

The bus pulled out of the wall and was gone. There was silence in the bank for about half a minute.

Bella broke it, by coming out from under the desk and ripping the papers in her hands into several pieces and stuffing them into her purse where she would proceed to burn them later.

There was no way in hell she was getting a bank account at a mob bank! No way in hell!

She stalked from the building, planning to get away before the cops showed up. She didn't want to be on the news or anything and wanted to get out of here and pronto.

She had just been in a bank that had gotten robbed by a clown and his girl. What the hell? She was _so_ getting some Vodka later.

* * *

Bella rolled her eyes as she stacked papers in a certain order. The t.v. in Mr. Fox's office was telling about the robbery of Gotham Bank earlier that morning and she couldn't help her reaction when one woman went on a whole rant on how she thought the Joker, that was the name of the purple clown, was hitting on her. She then gave a false statement and was given police protection because of it.

"Some women are ridiculous," Bella mumbled to herself as she situated the piles evenly.

"You think she's being over-dramatic?" Fox asked from his desk.

She fixed the man with a look, "Sir, I was _there_ this morning. I was halfway through the paperwork when the clowns showed up. I slid into a nearby cubicle and when the guy working in it pulled out and shotgun and stepped into the main lobby, I gave him a warning and hid under his desk, watching everything. He was shot because he didn't use his bullets sparingly and then the Harley girl showed up. She asked a question and the purple clown appeared. They talked a bit. She tried to hug him and got an elbow in the stomach instead. Purple guy then told her to kill the two masked clowns and she got one and he got the other to drop his gun with a well thrown switchblade. A bus came through the building and killed him. Then Mr. Purple and Harley took care of the guy who got all the money and they left together. He wasn't even in the room for two minutes and his attention was on killing and Harley the entire time. Not once did he show anyone else attention. This _girl_ just wants some publicity and I find that annoying. Who in their right mind would be proud to say that a purple clown, who is considered to be a psychopath, is interested in them?"

He gave her an odd look, "Why didn't you remain in the bank then?"

"I hate attention. If I stayed, they would have questioned me or something and I would become an open target. That _girl_ who just lied her face off, is a big symbol now and may just get the attention that she wanted. And it won't be good. Let her lie and when the purple guy goes after her just to prove a point, she'll regret it."

He smiled, "Well, I have to admit that you're most likely correct. I have a feeling that the Joker won't let Gotham assume that he's interested in a random girl. He'll probably do something, sooner or later, if someone doesn't stop him."

"Who could stop him? From what I've only seen today, he's been in and out of the police station and that asylum several times. He's probably a master escape artist if he can get a straight jacket off without a problem. There are people out there who spend days practising how to get out of one. Since they obviously can't hold him, just finish him when they actually have him. Otherwise, they're wasting resources attempting to contain him because he'll just keep on getting out and ruining the city and making the cops look bad."

Mr. Fox looked at her in silence, mulling over her words. "You are right. It's sad that the only way that he can be stopped, is by death though," he finally sighed.

"Well, it's either the life of a murderer or the lives of the entire city. I don't think death should be the answer either, but it's the only one, because Purple Man is smart and he will always come back. He's isn't insane like people think, he just has a very warped sense of humor. I looked him up when I got to work and from what I've seen, he's a genius and isn't going to be taken down easily. If he can create a bomb in seconds and think ahead far enough to implant it in one of his men to help him escape a tight spot, he's intelligent. If he can throw a small blade across a room and hit his target without issue, he's got skill. If he can escape from a high security asylum with people not knowing for _days_, he's talented. And if he can pull off a bank robbery and the cops don't show up until an hour and half after he's gone, he's impressive. You can't beat someone like that, because he'll _always_ find a way. Death, unfortunately, is the only option for him. And it's an easy way out considering all the things he has done."

Lucius nodded and gave a heavy sigh. "I never thought of it like that, but you're right. I must say, I'm impressed that you could think of all this so quickly," he smiled.

"I'm a watcher. I like to get facts and then form an opinion of my own. I've always been far too perceptive to everything and sometimes I weird people out with what I notice, that they think no one will see."

The phone of Fox's desk rang and he answered, leaving Bella to finish her stacking and ordering.

"Well, that was Mr. Wayne. He's hosting a fundraiser tomorrow and is inviting several business associates. I'm afraid I will need you to attend and take attendance of everyone who arrives. This could lead to possible business deals that could make a difference for the future of the company. Word of warning, don't dress in anything revealing and keep away from Mr. Wayne. His reputation isn't of the best and you don't want to get roped into anything with him."

She snorted, "You don't have to worry about that. Do you know how I'm supposed to dress, because I don't have any dresses."

He stared at her in shock. "Nothing?" he asked in astonishment.

"I don't do parties and things like that," she admitted, embarrassed by her lack of social life.

Fox had his cell phone out and was pressing buttons madly. "Size s for dress and shoe please?" he asked.

"Six for both," she said slowly. "What are you doing sir?"

"I have a feeling that you've never shopped for a dress before, which means I need woman with great taste and experience in this department."

"And who would that be, sir?" Bella queried, getting a bad feeling.

"My wife."

She sighed in relief. Mr. Fox was like, fifty, so his wife had to be about the same age and probably knew how to choose the correct and appropriate sort of clothing. She shouldn't; have to worry at all. She hoped.

"Okay, she'll give it to me and I'll bring it in tomorrow. I told her to get black, because you don't seem the type to like standing out. She's getting you a pair of kitten heels also."

"Thank you, sir," Bella flushed.

"It's nothing. Now, what are the plans after lunch?"

Bella's worries drifted away as she listed off all his appointments for the afternoon. He was a very busy man and she didn't have time to be worrying, because she was a busy woman.

A week in Gotham and so far, she had met an obnoxious billionaire and a nice CEO of a vast company, witnessed a bank robbery by a _super_villain dressed like a clown and came out alive and perfectly healthy, was scheduled to go to some sort of fundraiser held by a rich snob and was somewhat saved from opening up an account at a mob bank. All in the span of seven days. Wow!

She sighed, wondering if her time in Gotham would get even more exciting than it already was. Probably not.

Only much later, would she realize the error of her thoughts.

**A/N: So, I was really surprised over the feedback from one chapter! There are only 14 stories in the T/DK section and mine is already 5th in place for all and going by reviews, favs and follows! That's awesome!**

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter?**

**Harley is from Brooklyn, so I had to consult a Brooklynese dictionary to make sure I got things right. A _Schutch_ is a 'pain in the ass'. PM me if you have questions about the other words.**

**Check out my other Twilight stories and my Harry Potter stories!**

**See ya! :D**


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